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Residents asked for their views on future of Belfast's waste

Change is needed if the council is to meet its target of increasing the city's recycling rate to 50 per cent by December 2020
Change is needed if the council is to meet its target of increasing the city's recycling rate to 50 per cent by December 2020 Change is needed if the council is to meet its target of increasing the city's recycling rate to 50 per cent by December 2020

SMALLER bins and fewer collections are among changes being considered in Belfast.

Belfast City Council is seeking residents' views on the future of waste and recycling.

Change is needed if the council is to meet its target of increasing the recycling rate to 50 per cent by December 2020.

There would be no changes to brown bin or apartment collections as part of the proposals.

A consultation is asking for views on the frequency of general waste collections and seeking feedback on options including:

  • Change to a smaller black bin for general household waste (180 litre), collected fortnightly
  • No change to size of black bin but introduce a three weekly collection cycle
  • No change to size of black bin but introduce a four weekly collection cycle

About half the waste in black bins could be recycled, the council said, and £26 million is spent a year managing waste.

Councillor Kate Nicholl said by collecting recyclables more efficiently "we could have better quality recycling materials; we could create more jobs, and money spent on managing our waste could be better spent on investment in the city and other council services".

The consultation deadline is October 7. There will also be information roadshows taking place throughout September and October. Information can be found at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/consultations.